City Administrators Weekly Report

Walk-In Registration - In person registration for recreational classes, workshops, etc. began January 3 at the following facilities: Murdy Community Center, Edison Community Center, City Gym & Pool, Huntington Beach Art Center, and Rodgers Seniors' Center.

Digital Camera Techniques - Did you get a new digital camera for Christmas and don't know what to do with it? Bring it to the Digital Camera Techniques class at Murdy Community Center and you'll learn about optical vs. digital zoom, when to use flash, which batteries to use, which memory cards are best, and how mega pixels affect print size. There are two classes offered, each three hours long, on January 17 and 29, for a fee of $45.

Friday Afternoon at the Movies - How does this sound -- no lines to stand in and no tickets to purchase to enjoy an afternoon at the movies complete with popcorn and drinks? Michael E. Rodgers Seniors' Center, 1706 Orange Avenue, is showing free movies on Fridays at 12:30 p.m. The lineup for January: January 5 - Little Miss Sunshine; January 12 - World Trade Center; January 19 - Match Point; January 26 - The Devil Wears Prada.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Senior Administrative Analyst - After interviews with several well-qualified applicants, Stanley Smalewitz, Economic Development Director, chose Carol Runzel to fill the recently-vacated position of Senior Administrative Analyst. Carol's primary responsibilities are the administration of the Community Development Block Grant Program, HOME Program, and departmental budget issues. Carol began her career with the city of Huntington Beach in 1985 and has a Master's Degree in Public Administration. Congratulations, Carol.

New City Housing Rehab Loan Program Voice Mail Box "Hotline" - In November of 2006, the city contracted with GRC Associates, located in Brea, to administer the city's Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program, which provides low-interest home repair loans to low and moderate-income Huntington Beach homeowners. In order to avoid long-distance phone charges, the city has set up a local voice mail box for residents who are interested, or are already participating in the program, to call and leave their name, telephone number, and a short message for GRC who will be retrieving messages from the voice mail box twice a day. City employees should refer all low-income Huntington Beach homeowners in need of home repairs to the new voice mail box hotline at (714) 536-5585. NOTE: From inside City Hall, the voice mail can be accessed by simply dialing extension 5585. Should you have questions regarding the new voice mail box, please call Terri King at extension 8831.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

HB 1 Stats for December - The Aero Unit responded to a total of 360 calls during the month and was the first on scene 98% of the time. There were several significant calls on which the unit assisted during the month. They responded to a call of a missing child, and after using the P/A system on the helicopter to announce the disappearance, a neighbor called who had located the girl. Officers watched a street race between two vehicles and directed ground units to make a stop of the two cars. Both drivers ran from the cars, and one was apprehended. Both cars were reported stolen. Officers also tracked a LoJack hit on a car to the city of Anaheim where ground units maintained surveillance on the car and arrested the suspect when he returned to the car. On another occasion, the units assisted the Garden Grove Police Department on a vehicle pursuit where the suspect ran from the car. Using the FLIR, the aircrew located the suspect hiding in some dense brush.

Bank Robber Captured - Detectives from our department, along with detectives from the city of Fountain Valley, captured the suspect who robbed the Union Bank in Huntington Beach five times. Our detectives captured him near the pier last week after a lengthy investigation. The same suspect is alleged to have committed four robberies in Fountain Valley. Great job by HBPD Detectives.

PUBLIC WORKS

New Traffic Signal at the Warner Fire Station - A new traffic signal in front of the Warner Fire Station is now in operation. The full-function traffic signal replaces the existing flashing yellow traffic signal that primarily provided for emergency exits from the fire station. Over the years, Warner Avenue near Pacific Coast Highway has experienced significant increases in traffic volume and travel speeds. The Fire Department noted that motorists may be confused by the existing signal operation and either stop unnecessarily for a flashing yellow indication, or fail to stop for the red indication. The new signal will aid traffic from the fire station and the adjacent parking lot driveway north of the intersection. The Bolsa Chica Interpretive Center to the south is also served by the signal. As adjusting to new traffic signals may take some time, the signal is currently in full cycle, meaning that it will turn red, yellow, and green regularly. As local motorists become more accustomed to the signal, the cycle will be changed to remain green on Warner Avenue unless activated by cross traffic from the driveways.

Christmas Tree Pickup - Huntington Beach residents enjoy free, curbside recycling of Christmas trees. Rainbow Environmental Services will collect trees with the regular trash pick-up from December 26 through January 15. The discarded Christmas trees will be ground and recycled into mulch. To recycle your tree, simply remove all ornaments, hooks, light strings, tinsel, and stand and place it with household trash on the regular trash day. The maximum height is six feet, so trees that are taller than six feet must be cut into sections. If your tree is flocked, it cannot be used for mulch. However, Rainbow will still collect it for disposal. Huntington Beach residents who use the blue bin dumpster service should place their trees beside the trash bins for collection. For ease of handling, please do not place trees in the bin. If you would like further information, please contact the Public Works Department at 375-5010, or Rainbow Environmental Services at 847-3581.

Did you know?

Planning Commission meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. Meeting Agendas, Action Agendas, and Minutes are available to view online.